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- The Western Ghats of India is one of the 34 global hotspots of biodiversity. They are one of the most important large natural areas in the world and are fast becoming recognized for their biological importance. The herpetofauna of the Western Ghats is hugely diverse, with many species exhibiting rare, endemic styles of autecology and niche preference that could equal that of countries such as Borneo and Madagascar. In this report, we detail 18 amphibian and 37 reptile species from eight sites following three expeditions to the Western Ghats from 2007-2009. The report details species descriptions, habitat, ecology, and conservation to alert the herpetological community to the importance of future research to address the lack of knowledge in species ecology. It also presents new information on species distribution and behavior.

The Vidarbha region is classified biogeographically as the Central Deccan Plateau and covers the districts of Amravati, Washim, and Yavatmal. Topographically, the region is flat undulating terrain, devoid of any major hill ranges. The Satpura Range lies to the North of Vidarbha. The Melghat hills of Amravati district form the southern offshoot of the Satpura Range. The region has three main seasons: the wet monsoon and post-monsoon season from June to October, the cool dry winter from October to March, and the hot dry season from April till the onset of rains at the beginning of June. The forest types found in this area are classified as sub-tropical hill forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, and tropical dry deciduous forests. The Reptile fauna of 'Vidarbha' was investigated during the year March 2002 to December 2013. Random surveys were carried out in all forest areas as well as urban areas of Vidarbha. A total of 68 species of reptiles belonging to 16 families were recorded. In recent years it has been observed that the populations of reptiles are declining due to several reasons, such as destruction of forest areas, habitat loss, illegal trades for skins and flesh, poaching, anthropogenic pressure and roadkill by heavy traffic further adds to this loss. It is needed to save our reptile faunal diversity by taking all the possible protection measures.